How Cross-Directional Flow Helps Mitigate CUI
Date: September 14, 2023
Corrosion under insulation (CUI) is a huge concern for engineers, specifiers, and those maintaining an industrial insulation system. Because CUI can have catastrophic consequences in a system, a large portion of maintenance for industrial facilities is focused on preventing and treating CUI.
Despite insulation systems designed to deter ingress of water and other harmful substances, over time, damage often occurs and infiltration is essentially inevitable. When a system is damaged or exposed to the elements, liquid substances like rain/flood water or chemicals can enter, become trapped, and begin interacting with the underlying piping or process equipment, leading to corrosion.
CUI is difficult to detect. Most often, the only reactive way to resolve CUI is through regular maintenance, which includes the removal of both the metal jacketing and underlying insulation on piping or equipment and replacing these materials if necessary. This process requires costly labor, extensive equipment, facility shutdowns, and material upgrades.
A new CUI mitigation strategy has been created by incorporating cross-directional flow (CDF) technology into metal jacketing. Cross-directional flow within metal jacketing provides a path for liquid that may enter the insulation system to reach the low point more easily and exit the jacketing through a weep hole or drainage port.
